Ignoring the detractors at the beginning of the season, the Japanese captain gradually proved his expertise in playing football and will leave a big void at Anfield in January 2024.

Wataru Endo’s debut for Liverpool did not go smoothly. The Japanese international played 28 minutes from the bench in the 3-1 victory over Bournemouth in round 2 of the 2023/24 Premier League. In the match against Newcastle United in round 3, he started from the beginning but was replaced in the 58th minute.

Just over 4 months later, Endo started again in the match against “Chich Choe”. Unlike the lackluster performance in August, the former VfB Stuttgart player played more confidently and helped “The Kop” dominate the midfield. Jurgen Klopp’s team reached 7.11 expected goals (xG) in the 4-2 victory, the highest xG record in a Premier League match since the 2010/11 season.

It is not surprising that Endo gradually integrated into his new life in the red half of Merseyside. Since the win against Sheffield United on December 7, 2023, the Japanese player continued to start the next 4 matches.

Jurgen Klopp is satisfied with Wataru Endo.

His performance in the 2-0 win over Burnley on Boxing Day helped Endo receive special praise from coach Jurgen Klopp. “ I have to sаy I love Endo’s football. It’s a pity that at a time when Endo was flourishing, he was preparing to join the Japanese team and attend the Asian Cup ,” the German strategist emphasized.

In the final match before leaving for the tournament in Qatar, Endo shined against Newcastle. He made more passes (63) than any other Liverpool player despite only playing 75 minutes, contributing 37 passes in Newcastle’s half, completing 91.9% of them and making three interceptions. – only behind Trent Alexander-Arnold (4).

Before that, Endo also made a difference, such as in the 4-3 victory over Fulham. In the Premier League matches that Endo participated in, Liverpool won 11/15 matches (73.3%), scored 34 goals (2.3 goals per match) and harvested an average of 2.4 points per match. In the 5 matches Endo did not play a minute, Liverpool won only 2 (40%) and scored 9 goals (1.8 goals per match) and earned an average of 1.8 points per match.

Opta once pointed out that Wataru Endo is very strong in aerial combat. No Bundesliga midfielder won more than 219 aerial duels during Endo’s time with Stuttgart. That continues to happen in the Premier League this season, with no Liverpool midfielder able to match the Japan international’s rate of 1.9 aerial duels won per 90 minutes. Only 8 midfielders in the Premier League who played at least 500 minutes had more aerial duels per 90 minutes than the midfielder wearing the number 3 shirt of the “Red Brigade”.

When Liverpool signed Endo, Klopp expressed his joy because he owned a defensive-minded midfielder . The 30-year-old player’s top task is to fill Fabinho’s void.

Wataru Endo aims to win the 5th Asian Cup championship in Japanese football history.

Comparing the statistics of the Brazilian midfielder last season, Endo is superior in indicators such as the number of tackles per 90 minutes (2.22 compared to Fabinho’s 2.19), interceptions (1.50 vs 1, 25), regaining possession (6.8 vs 5.9), winning the ball back in the final third (0.92 vs 0.71) and passing the ball (64.4 vs 60.3).

In the latest sharing about Wataru Endo, Klopp alluded to the former Stuttgart star’s positive integration: ” We don’t give people time anymore…In the past, many players needed time to adapt to Liverpool.” . However, others do not. Currently, several players have caught up with the team’s way of playing .”

” We see Endo training every day and he is one of the hardest working people I have ever met. I am very happy for him. The public can also see Endo’s performance improving. His high performance helps our work ,” the former Borussia Dortmund captain added.

As Liverpool legend Bill Shankly once said: “ A football team is like a piano. You need 8 me𝚗 to carry it and the remaining 3 to operate it .”

Endo will never become an iconic figure like Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk or Mohamed Salah. However, the Japanese player will continue to play the role of “piano carrier” – the job that best suits him and earns the trust and love of his teammates, coaching staff and fans.